Proto-type installation of a double-station system for the optical-video-detection and orbital characterisation of a meteor/fireball in South Korea

TL;DR

This paper details the installation and initial operation of a double-station meteor detection system in South Korea, enabling 3D orbit determination of meteors, with results from the Jinju fireball event and other detections.

Contribution

It presents the first implementation of a double-station meteor detection system in South Korea, including hardware setup, software integration, and initial observational results.

Findings

Successful detection of meteor events including the Jinju fireball

First 3D orbit determination of meteors in South Korea

Operational experience with the detection system

Abstract

We give a detailed description of the installation and operation of a double-station meteor detection system which formed part of a research & education project between Korea Astronomy Space Science Institute and Daejeon Science Highschool. A total of six light-sensitive CCD cameras were installed with three cameras at SOAO and three cameras at BOAO observatory. A double-station observation of a meteor event enables the determination of the three-dimensional orbit in space. This project was initiated in response to the Jinju fireball event in March 2014. The cameras were installed in October/November 2014. The two stations are identical in hardware as well as software. Each station employes sensitive Watec-902H2 cameras in combination with relatively fast f/1.2 lenses. Various fields of views were used for measuring differences in detection rates of meteor events. We employed the SonotaCo UFO software suite for meteor detection and their subsequent analysis. The system setup as well as installation/operation experience is described and first results are presented. We also give a brief overview of historic as well as recent meteor (fall) detections in South Korea. For more information please consult http://meteor.kasi.re.kr .